This report can be accessed by clicking Reports > Manufacturing and Wholesale Reports.

Here is a screen shot for easy reference:

This report is extremely helpful in understanding which customer segments are driving your sales for the month, quarter or year.

AND WITH JUST A FEW EXTRA CLICKS...

If you click the Customize button at the top of the report, then check the "Previous Year", "$ Change" and "% Change" boxes, you get a very handy comparison of sales by customer type between this year and last year as shown below:

I have talked with a number of businesses lately that like the idea of automating their bill payment with Bill.com and QuickBooks.

However, they had concerns about using items, customers/jobs and/or classes when entering bills in Bill.com.

Good news - Bill.com can handle any or all of these needs.

Here is a screen shot of the bill entry screen in Bill.com:

Note: Department = class when it comes to QuickBooks. Since Bill.com also integrates with other accounting packages, the department label has more than one meaning.

As you can see, entering a bill in Bill.com is almost identical to entering in QuickBooks - only the layout of the screen is different. Plus, all the data syncs between these apps so that you only have to enter it once. From there, your life just gets easier, especially when it comes to not having checks to sign or reconcile at the end of the month!

WARNING: If you actually want to combine transactions into one QuickBooks file (and not just data for reports), be absolutely certain you understand the ramifications of doing this on your current and historical financial records! In many cases, doing this will likely cause your accountant to melt down, as your historical information would very likely be changed. And accountants NEVER like it when information from the past changes in financial records!

Generally speaking, you want to leave the history alone and NOT combine actual data from different QuickBooks files into one file. You would pick a point in time and then start a new QuickBooks file and put the information from that point forward into the new file.

However, there may also be cases where it is necessary to combine the actual transaction data (again, understanding the implications and having discussed with your accountant first). Be aware that there is no way to directly combine transaction data in QuickBooks. You'll have to use a third-party tool in order to accomplish that.

RESOURCES

QuickBooks Enterprise - allows for the combination of report data from multiple QuickBooks data files into Excel for easy review and analysis.

WebKPI - allows for the combination of report data from multiple QuickBooks data files into an online dashboard for easy review, analysis and customization.

The question of using QuickBooks for tracking inventory is one I get on a regular basis.

The conversation usually starts innocently enough - "does QuickBooks have an inventory module?"

And my answer is "yes".

From there...

"Do you think QuickBooks could handle the inventory for my business?"

And my answer at that stage can only be...."it depends"

GREAT FOR SOME, NOT SO GREAT FOR MANY OTHERS

When it comes to tracking inventory in QuickBooks, the key question
that needs to be asked is "does it have the necessary features and
functionality for my specific business needs?"

For many businesses with simple inventory needs, the inventory module in QuickBooks may be the only thing they need, and it will do just fine (assuming it is used properly that is!)

For others that have significant manufacturing, assembly, kitting,
lot numbering or bar-codiing requirements, QuickBooks by itself likely isn't
enough. These businesses would be well served by exploring the world of
"advanced inventory add-ons" for QuickBooks.

YOUR HANDY COMPARISON CHART IS HERE!

Download my free guide that discusses in detail:

What QuickBooks can do when it comes to tracking inventory

What QuickBooks can't do when it comes to inventory

The key features and benefits of the leading advanced inventory add-ons for QuickBooks, including:

Are you having trouble with corrupted data in your QuickBooks file? Maybe you're seeing a balance sheet out of balance, sporadic crashes of QuickBooks, or other erratic behavior that could be a symptom of potential trouble ahead?

He was gracious enough to provide some additional insights posted below that I hope you find helpful...

Q: In
non-techie terms, what does it mean when a QuickBooks data file “gets
corrupted”?

A: It
means that either part of the file has gotten internally scrambled to some
degree, or it doesn't make accounting sense anymore -- things don't add up
right. The first case is much more common than the second.

Q:
What do you see as the leading causes of data corruption?

A:
Sunspots! No, I think that the four most common causes of data corruption in
QuickBooks files are 1) network connection glitches, 2) power glitches that
affect computers or network components that don't have battery backups, 3) hard
drive problems and 4) bugs in QuickBooks.

Q: Is
there anything that can be done to prevent corruption from occurring?

A:
Usually the users themselves don't do anything to cause data problems, unless
they pull the plug on the computer while QuickBooks is open or something like
that. The best defense for preventing data corruption is to have a very stable
computing environment for QuickBooks to run in. That includes:

A:
Sometimes the built in Rebuild command in QuickBooks can fix a corrupted file.
Otherwise, QuickBooks files can often be repaired by consulting firms like
ours. You upload a copy of the damaged file, we repair or reconstruct the
damaged sections in the file, test it thoroughly, and return it to you by
download link. Pretty easy and non-technical from the user's vantage
point.

So there you have some additional insight on the topic of QuickBooks data corruption. It goes without saying that it is critical to have a solid, reliable backup strategy in place for your QuickBooks and all other critical business data as well just in case you encounter a situation where your QuickBooks data becomes unstable.

NEED HELP WITH A CORRUPTED QUICKBOOKS DATA FILE?

While Intuit does offer a service can try to help with problems like these, I can't recommend it. In many cases, they can have your data file for 3-5 business days while trying to fix the problem - there is no guarantee that your file will be returned in any specific timeframe. While they have it, you can't enter any new transactions into the file - all you can do is lookup things.

Shannon's firm specializes in fixing and rebuilding corrupted QuickBooks data files and they offer overnight turnaround on them. Contact him for more details on his services. He and his team have helped countless clients of mine fix their QuickBooks problems and get them back in business.

If your business is considering cloud-based accounting software, one of the first options that comes to mind is QuickBooks Online.

However, it is important to know there are alternatives as well. One of those I'd like to introduce to you is called LessAccounting.

Here is a short video I created that gives you an overview of LessAccounting:

Naturally, you'll want to evaluate the features and benefits of any accounting software package against the needs and requirements of your business. LessAccounting could be a good solution for many small businesses, but those with more complex accounting (think inventory or job costing for example) may find that it doesn't work for them.